Consequences
by Yami Raven
Summary: Yami Bakura's habit of self-mutilation gets out of hand one day, and Ryou pays the price.


Disclaimer: Don't own Yugioh. Shucks.

A/N: Just a short fic about what might happen if Yami Bakura went overboard with his ... ummm, hobby... Hope you like it.

Consequences

*Yami Bakura* 

Seeing Ryou lying there in the hospital bed, breathing heavily and fighting for his life, made me feel like screaming at him. Damn you boy, I thought. Why do you have to be such a weakling? There was a rage inside me that was growing larger by the second, though deep down I knew that it wasn't really Ryou I was angry at. After all, it was me who had injured him. 

I won't lie, I had gotten careless. I realized too late that I had hit a vein with the knife I wasusing_,_ and the blood began spilling on the floor. I retreated to my soul room and allowed Ryou control, thinking he would do the sensible thing by calling the doctor. At first, he acted like he usually did. He blinked confusedly, and looked around, not remembering what had happened. Ryou is never aware of my actions, but I'm sure that whenever he awakens to find himself in strange places and situations, he knows who's responsible. He looked down at his wounded arms, and began to shake. What Ryou did next is something which will haunt me forever. 

He suddenly screamed. A horrible, bloodcurdling scream of pure terror, which made my heart turn to ice. Never, in all the time I knew my host, had I seen Ryou react like that. Before I knew it, I was by his side in my spirit form, but he didn't seem to notice me. His face became pale and I saw him begin to sway. Automatically, I tried to catch him, only to have him fall straight through my transparent arms. 

For a long while I did nothing but stand there, still reeling from his unexpected reaction. I stared down at Ryou's unconscious form. His left arm lay lifelessly by his side, while his head rested on the other. The blood was soaking his clothes and the floor, leaving red stains on his snow-white hair... 

I looked down at my own body. Identical wounds and stains were appearing on it. Yes of course they would, I thought. What happens to him, happens to me. I was his mirror image. My mind was blank, until I violently shook my head to snap myself out of it. I realized that if I didn't do something quickly, Ryou would die. Immediately, I returned to his body and resumed control. The first thing I became of aware of was that familiar metallic taste of fresh blood in my mouth. I savoured it for a moment before trying to move. It was only when I tried to stand that I realized I'd gone too far. 

My vision was blurry, and my legs struggled to support my weight. Swooning, I moved towards the kitchen, afraid that I would not make it to the phone. It seemed to be miles away, though in reality it was mere feet. When at last I managed to stumble into the kitchen, I grabbed the receiver, my hand involuntarily shaking. I dialled 911 (knowing how to do so from looking into Ryou's mind) and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, someone finally answered. I gave her the address and made up an excuse for the cuts on my arms. She seemed to doubt my words, and insisted on asking me a million questions. When exactly it had happened, why it had happened... Finally, I lost my temper and roared "IDIOT WOMAN! JUST GET HERE!" And slammed down the phone. 

I immediately regretted using my last bit of energy to yell at her. My head began to spin and I was forced to lay on the floor. The kitchen tile felt like ice against my skin. I closed my eyes. My heart was slowing, and I realized suddenly that Ryou was slipping away... 

I sprang from his body like a rat from a snake. Truth be told, I was afraid of what might happen if Ryou died while I was still in his body. Would I be locked in the Ring again? Or would I disappear too? _Coward..._ accused a small voice in the back of my mind. 

When the paramedics arrived, they placed Ryou on a stretcher and took him into the vehicle. I followed them inside, and watched them closely. They hooked Ryou up to all kinds of strange machines and contraptions. I knew these things were supposed to help him, but to me they looked more like torture devices. "If you screw this up and he dies," I said in the paramedic's ear, knowing full well that he couldn't hear me, "I'll make sure you regret it." 

Hours later, I found myself sitting on Ryou's bed, watching his quiet breathing fog the oxygen mask, his chest slowly rising and falling. Night had fallen, and the room was silent, save for the occasional click of the IV machine feeding the needle in Ryou's arm more blood. 

As I watched him I wondered what had caused this to happen in the first place. I looked down at my wrist, at the blood seeping through the bandage. Pain. Beautiful, pleasurable pain. The only thing that lets me know I'm alive. The sight of blood running down my skin excites me, for it proves that I am real. That I'm not just a drifting spirit who can't touch and taste the world around me. 

But it's all a lie. 

It's not my pain. It's Ryou's. This body belongs to Ryou, not me. I know who I really am. I'm a cruel, sadistic tomb robber who died a long time ago, and refuses to be destroyed. When I take control of Ryou, I am him. I can walk freely among the people, go wherever the wind takes me, and feel the warmth of the sun on my body. But it's when he's in control, when I'm forced to remain in the cold emptiness of my soul room, that I'm reminded of what I really am. A long dead spirit. It's at this time I find myself hating Ryou for having something which I can never have again. A life. 

Feeling that familiar anger, I stared at Ryou's unconscious body again, and wondered why I was still sitting on his bed. Why should I care if he dies? I can always get another host. My Ring will find another. Perhaps the next won't be such a weakling, I thought. I should just leave him. Still... 

The way he lay there, so innocently, like a child, made me stay by his side. There is something about Ryou that makes you want to protect him. To shield him. Guide him in any way you can. Ryou has been through many hardships (most of which were my doing) that have left deep scars inside him. But, despite his loneliness and pain, he somehow manages to survive. Each day, he rises, holds his head high and faces the world with a smile. This was the reason I chose him. In this boy I saw an inner strength that no one else did. The strength to live and move on, no matter the circumstances. Perhaps the weakling was never really Ryou. 

I raised my hand, shaking, and reached for him... 

*Ryou* 

It was dark were I was, and freezing cold. I couldn't see anything, and was afraid that I'd never find my way out. I shivered, feeling more lonely than I'd ever felt in my life. All of a sudden, my body became warm. I couldn't see where it was coming from, but I no longer felt scared. My strength began to return, as I realized that someone was holding my hand. I'm not alone, I thought. And for the first time in a long while, I felt safe. 

TA-DA *does a little bow* This wasn't meant to be yaoi but I don't know if it came off that way. This is my first fic so please R & R! 


End file.
